232/356
“No,” he said. “But it’s true, isn’t it? And what are you planning on doing with all that wealth now that you’ve got it?” I didn’t understand his sudden snippiness. Did he think I was going to turn into a King John? That I was going to sit around all day admiring my stash of gold and paying off lackeys to do my bidding?
“I only asked for this enchantment because I wanted money to keep the library open so my dad and Sandra wouldn’t lose their jobs.” Hudson let out a laugh like he didn’t believe me. “So when we get back home, you’re not planning to move to some mansion somewhere and spend your time hobnobbing with the rich and famous?” I slid the pen back into the book. “You make it sound bad when you put it that way.”
He shook his head. “So the moral of the story is about money, isn’t it? ‘Get as much as you can.’ ” And what was wrong with money? I wanted to finally have a say in my own life instead of being pushed around by everyone else’s circumstances. I wanted to be able to live whereever I wanted. Money was freedom.
I stood up and brushed the dirt from my dress. “I shouldn’t have expected you to understand.”
He straightened. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, you’ve never tried to understand my point of view in anything.”
“I’ve never tried to understand?” He tossed the sleeping bag into one of the boxes. “I risked my life to rescue you. I carried you along the wall.”
“Thanks,” I said. “What do you want as payment for that? Just name your price.”
233/356
He let out a groan. “You know, not everything in life is for sale.” Then he turned and headed toward the Merry Men. “I need to help your dad pick out horses.”
I watched him go, wondering why he was so upset. I wasn’t trying to buy him off; I was being generous. We could all be rich when we made it back home.
I should have gone to help Sandra pack things, but I watched Hudson for another moment. His boots, sword, and chain mail—they looked normal on him now. Normal in a masculine, rugged sort of way. It was hard to imagine him back at Rock Canyon High in jeans and T-shirts. When we returned, would he talk to me in the hallway?
Pretend none of this had ever happened? Treat me with the same sullen distance he used with the other girls at school? But then, if I moved to a mansion somewhere in another city, it wouldn’t matter. I wouldn’t go to school with him anymore.
I didn’t like that thought, not after we’d gone through so much together.
I had the sudden desire to yell out to him, “I don’t have to move to a mansion. I’d be perfectly happy with my old house if it weren’t trashed and stuck in the Middle Ages.” But that was assuming too much. He probably didn’t care about seeing me again.
I went and helped Sandra and Nick pack up the boxes. Before we were done, Dad came over, frowning. “Robin Hood says they can’t spare any horses because they need them to carry their provisions. He says Hudson should go to the nearest village and buy horses for us. In the meantime, he wants us to drive the cars about ten miles down the road to a better hiding spot. It’s less populated there.” Nick grunted as he set the tent bag down. “That’s what we get for giving them so much gold. Now they need all their horses to carry it.” 234/356
Dad rummaged through the supplies, taking a few things out.
“They don’t even want to let Hudson borrow a horse so he can make it to the village faster. He’s still trying to convince them about that.”
“Hudson is going to walk?” I asked. I had heard the Merry Men talk about the village this morning. It was six miles up the road.
Dad put a flashlight, matches, and a box of crackers into a pillowcase. “Hudson is the only one of us who knows anything about horses—and he’s got a sword. He’s the best choice. We’ve set up a meeting place and I’m giving Hudson one of the walkie-talkies so he’ll be able to reach us when he gets close.” Dad dropped one of the walkie-talkies into the pillowcase, then added granola bars and a water bottle.
I turned to look at Hudson and Robin Hood. They still stood talking by the horses. From the way Hudson’s jaw was set, I didn’t think it was going well.
Dad left the pillowcase on the ground and hefted the biggest box onto his shoulder. “Let’s pack up the car.” Nick picked up his backpack and the tent bag and followed after him. Sandra grabbed a couple of sleeping bags. When I picked up a box, she shot a look at the Merry Men and motioned for me to stay.
The men were busy wrapping up their gold inside their bedrolls, and they were talking loudly enough that they couldn’t hear us. Still, Sandra leaned toward me and whispered, “Someone should guard these supplies until we can lock them in the cars again. We only took them out last night because we needed room to carry the men. These modern things …” She ran a hand over a box. “I don’t completely trust the Merry Men, so we shouldn’t tempt them.” Sandra walked off in the direction of the car and I sat down, trying to find a place on the ground that was less dirty than the rest. Although, really, it didn’t matter. My dress was stained enough already.